Testimonial request prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this after a job or project went well and you'd like a customer's words for your website, proposals or social posts. The AI's default is to hand the customer a ready-made glowing quote to "approve," which isn't really theirs and can mislead your readers. This prompt asks for a short, no-pressure note that invites them to describe their experience in their own words and asks permission for exactly how you'll use it.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are [YOUR NAME] at [BUSINESS], writing a personal note to a customer. Context: The customer is [CUSTOMER], and the work we did was [JOB]. We'd like to use a few sentences from them on [WHERE IT WILL APPEAR]. Don't write a sample testimonial for them, don't offer anything in exchange, and don't suggest what they should say. Task: Write a short email asking whether they'd be willing to share a few sentences about their experience in their own words. Offer two or three simple questions they can answer if that's easier, and ask how they'd like to be named (full name, first name and town, or not named). Make it easy to say no. Format: Subject line first, plain and specific. Under 130 words, friendly and plain, no emoji. End with my name.
Fill in the blanks
[YOUR NAME]- The person the customer dealt with. A request from someone they know gets read.
[BUSINESS]- Your business name.
[CUSTOMER]- The customer's name and who they are, such as "a homeowner we did a panel upgrade for."
[JOB]- What you did and roughly when, so the note feels personal.
[WHERE IT WILL APPEAR]- Every place you plan to use their words. Permission for your website is not permission for an ad.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson ChatGPT for Electricians: Build an Electrical Bid Writer. Oak & Wire Electric is the made-up electrical contractor in the electrical bid writer lesson. A homeowner was happy with a panel upgrade, and the owner would like a testimonial.
Role: You are Tom at Oak & Wire Electric, writing a personal note to a customer. Context: The customer is Ellen Park, a homeowner in Lancaster County, and the work we did was a panel upgrade last month, including the permit and the inspection. We'd like to use a few sentences from them on our website's reviews page and in printed bids we give to new customers. Don't write a sample testimonial for them, don't offer anything in exchange, and don't suggest what they should say. Task: Write a short email asking whether they'd be willing to share a few sentences about their experience in their own words. Offer two or three simple questions they can answer if that's easier, and ask how they'd like to be named (full name, first name and town, or not named). Make it easy to say no. Format: Subject line first, plain and specific. Under 130 words, friendly and plain, no emoji. End with my name.
What a good answer looks like
- No pre-written testimonial and no "feel free to just copy this."
- A couple of easy questions, such as "What was going on before you called us?" and "How did the day of the work go?"
- A clear choice of how they're named, including not at all.
- A line that makes no a fine answer, like "No worries at all if you'd rather not."
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Make sure the email offers nothing in return. Rewards tied to praise can break review platform rules and mislead readers; if you thank customers, do it whether or not they write anything.
- Check that it names every place the words will appear, and nothing more.
- When the reply comes, publish their words as written. If you need to shorten them, send the shorter version back for an OK.
- Keep the message where they gave permission, in case anyone asks later.
Why this prompt works
The Context lists what the AI must not do, because its instinct is to be helpful by writing the testimonial for you. A testimonial is only worth something if it's real, and plain customer words ("They showed up when they said they would") tend to persuade better than polished copy anyway.
Practice it in the free lesson
ChatGPT for Electricians: Build an Electrical Bid Writer: See why generic prompts give generic bids, then build a Custom GPT that knows your electrical services and pricing and drafts professional bid descriptions. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format
Terms used here
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Frequently asked questions
- Is a testimonial the same as a review?
- Not quite. A review is posted by the customer on a site like Google. A testimonial is something you publish with their permission. To ask for public reviews, use the review request email prompt instead.